One of eight tasting dishes prepared by eight outstanding chefs from across Canada for the Cooks & Curds Gala at the 2012 Great Canadian Cheese Festival on Saturday evening, June 2, presented by Swallow.
The Gala is the culinary and social highlight of the Cheese Festival. The first sitting at 6:00 p.m. has SOLD OUT. Second sitting at 7:00 p.m. now on sale. Don’t delay ordering your tickets!
Chefs use Canadian cheeses to create mouth-watering tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets and wine.
Food Network celebrity chef Bob Blumer will make a guest appearance to prepare his signature blue-cheese cappucino made with Alpindon from Kootenay Alpine Cheese and Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue from Thornloe Cheese.
Ivy Knight, editor-in-chief of Swallow, the new online food and drink magazine, serves as Gala Co-ordinator.
It’s not cheese but the mouth waters at the sight of charcuterie from Seed to Sausage.
Michael McKenzie, owner and chief salumi maker of Seed to Sausage, is one of hundreds of businesses around the world paying tribute to Food Revolution Day, an international movement sponsored by the Jamie Oliver Foundation to inspire change in people’s food habits.
This Saturday, May 19, McKenzie hosts a food festival in Sharbot Lake, Ontario, featuring hand-crafted artisan salumi and deli meats from his charcuterie, fire-roasted lamb and pork, artisan pizza, local and area artisan cheese, fresh oysters, micro-beer and local wine.
“I wanted to do something special to mark the opening of our retail operation and what better way than to recognize Food Revolution Day and celebrate the joy of eating wonderful food with your friends, family and those who have helped support us over the last year,” says McKenzie. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and will move indoors in the event of rain.
Joining McKenzie are a host of well-known chefs and from Kingston and Ottawa, including Kingston Chef Derek MacGregor of Chien Noir and Chef Stev George of Olivea who will prepare whole roasted lamb and pork. Also in attendance is The Whales Bone Oyster House from Ottawa who will be shucking oysters, Kyle Christofferson, Chef de Cuisine of Brookstreet Ottawa will be running a food truck, St. Amboise microbrewery from Montreal and Sandbanks Winery from Prince Edward County.
Food and beverage prices will range from $5 to $10. Sharbot Lake Community Living will volunteer to help out during the event. Seed to Sausage is located at 12821 Highway 38 in Sharbot Lake, 10 km south of Highway 7, 60 km north of Kingston, 130 km west of Ottawa and 100 km east of Belleville.
Since starting his enterprise in 2011, McKenzie has discovered that he is ideally situated to service his customers in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto. “This is a wonderful location as it also allows me to purchase pork and other meat products from within a 100 mile radius,” he says.
Michael McKenzie, chief salumi maker and proprietor, Seed to Sausage. Photos by Tim Forbes.
He is an enthusiastic supporter of a unique eastern Ontario economic development partnership called Food and Beverage (FAB) region that involves the counties of Hastings, Lennox & Addington, and Prince Edward and the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC).
“With a strong history in artisanal food and beverage production, combined with a growing global market for artisanal food and beverages, we formed this historic relationship to pool our resources and work together to develop and attract additional artisan food and beverage producers to the region,” says Anne Prichard, Executive Director, Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) and FAB partner. “Mike’s charcuterie is a prime example of an artisan business that can thrive in our region. We are delighted with his success.”
Seed to Sausage sells a range of hand-crafted cured meats including speciality items such as pancetta, guanciale, fermented salumi, bacon and deli-style meats. The company wholesales to 35 restaurants and specialty shops in Ottawa, Kingston, Perth and Toronto and will operate its retail shop over the summer months. To learn more about the company, visit www.seedtosausage.ca. More information about the FAB region can be found at www.fabregion.ca.
If you cannot make it to Sharbot Lake, Seed to Sausage is a Featured Artisan Producer at the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival in Picton, Ontario.
Food and Beverage (FAB) region is Gold Sponsor of the Festival and will also have a booth to offer information on its initiatives.
Cheesewerks Original: Aged and double-smoked Balderson cheddars are grilled on cracked-peppercorn sourdough and served with roasted-garlic-red-pepper ketchup.
The Toronto grilled-cheese emporium is Canada’s first and only restaurant totally dedicated to placing artisan cheese at the centre of every plate. The Festival is Canada’s only event to showcase Canadian artisan cheese from coast to coast, along with artisan foods, fine wine and craft beer.
“Although we had more than 100 artisan cheeses on hand for sampling and purchase at the inaugural event, our patrons asked for more,” says Georgs Kolesnikovs, the Festival’s founder. “Thus was born the idea for a food court featuring grilled-cheese sandwiches and other eats.”
The Cheese Festival and Cheesewerks share the same mission: promote the best in Canadian cheese.
” We support 100% Canadian cheese, using Canadian artisan products throughout our menu and retail offering,” says Kevin Durkee, co-owner of Cheesewerks. “In fact, we are recognized and endorsed by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Having the little blue cow as part of our credentials is amazing. The DFC designation is typically offered to producers and retail brands, to showcase their use of 100% Canadian Milk. I’m not familiar of another restaurant that has been awarded this designation. We are very proud of this designation.”
Cheesewerks is developing a special menu for the Cheese Festival, but it’s sure to feature some of its more popular offerings such as:
Original: Balderson Aged and Double-Smoked Cheddars on Cracked Peppercorn Sourdough
Los Angeles: Havarti, Smashed Avacado, Arugula, Citrus Compote on Green Onion Potato Bread
Chef Jamie Kennedy serves Braised Oxtail Poutine with two Black River cheddars at the Cooks & Curds Gala at the inaugural Great Canadian Cheese Festival in 2011.
The Cooks & Curds Gala is the culinary and social highlight of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival held annually in Picton, Ontario, in the heart of Prince Edward County.
Eight leading chefs from across Canada use Canadian cheeses to create tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner on Saturday evening, June 2, concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets, sparkling wine, ice wine, port, coffee and tea.
From British Columbia to Newfoundland, here are the Gala chefs:
Top Chef Canada contestant Jimmy Stewart is the sous chef at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, British Columbia. With strong beliefs in foraging and a love for Canadian products and ingredients, he is driven by modern Canadian cuisine.
Top Chef Canada contestant Jimmy Stewart of Whistler, B.C.
Classically trained in her grandmother’s kitchen, Talia Syrie’s nouveau Baba-style deli food combines the traditional Shtetl recipes of her people and the southern country cooking that she loves. Hailing from the North End of Winnipeg Talia’s intimate café, The Tallest Poppy, is loved by the community.
For over three decades, Jamie Kennedy has been instrumental in shaping the culinary landscape in Canada. His innovative approach to gastronomy, commitment to sustainable agriculture and advocacy of local food have been unwavering.
Chef Kennedy has applied the slow food philosophy in every aspect of his acclaimed restaurants and his flourishing catering business. His seasonal methods of cooking and involvement with the local food movement continue to inspire progress in agricultural and gastronomical communities across Canada.
Born in Leicestershire, England, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Chef Michael Blackie has been cooking for 25 years on three continents. Among his many career highlights, Chef Blackie held executive sous chef and acting chef positions at the prestigious and world-renowned Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. He joined the artistic leadership team at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa three years ago.
A unique feta and elk dish created by Chef Blackie expressly for The Great Canadian Cheese Festival was voted the most popular dish by close to 400 guests at the inaugural Cooks & Curds Gala in 2011.
Originally from the U.K., Marc Cohen studied cooking at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. After moving to Montreal, Marc quickly established himself on the city’s culinary scene running the kitchen at The Sparrow before opening Lawrence in 2010. Chef Cohen emphasizes the use of sustainable products from local farmers, in-house butchery and nose-to-tail cooking.
Top Chef Canada contestant Francois Gagnon of Montreal.
Top Chef Canada contestant François Gagnon, a seasoned chef who has worked in top restaurants in Quebec, France and Vancouver, currently is private chef for Ædifica, a prestigious architectural firm in Montreal, where the design culture stimulates his use of color, texture, technique and flavours to produce visually and conceptually inspiring meals daily.
Just before joining Ædifica in 2011, Chef Gagnon took part in the first season of Top Chef Canada on the Food Network, finishing in the top 5. In the future, he plans to partner in the opening of a gourmet sandwich shop in downtown Montreal.
For more 20 years, the Inn At Bay Fortune has been serving its guests the best that Prince Edward Island has to offer.
Chef Domenic Serio and Team Cuisine draw heavily on the Inn’s extensive herb and vegetable garden ensuring fresh and season driven cuisine. As well as working directly with local farmers, Chef Serio can be seen at the Charlottetown and Cardigan Farmers Market taking advantage of all the wonderful organic produce that is available. Together, this all adds up to a truly remarkable dining experience where guest get to enjoy Chef’s and his team’s passion for true farm-to-table cooking.
The Bonavista Social Club, located in the small community of Upper Amherst Cove on the Bonavista Peninsula, harnesses the established farm gardens, animal husbandry and self-sufficient lifestyle at work in Upper Amherst Cove to provide a truly unique experience of rural Newfoundland. The restaurant is home to the only commercial wood-fired bread oven in Newfoundland and Labrador. The bread oven is the centrepiece of an open kitchen.
The eight chefs have been selected and announced. Now starts the much-anticipated challenge for event organizers to match and pair the chefs and their ideas for tasting dishes with the most appropriate cheeses from the Canadian producers featured at the Festival. Karin Desveaux is the Festival’s executive director, Ivy Knight is chef co-ordinator and Jackie Armet is cheese co-ordinator. Menu details will be announced as soon they become available, with recommended wine pairings by David Lawrason.
Advance tickets are sold online at www.CheeseFestival.ca. In order to assure a high-quality experience for chefs and guests, Cheese Gala ticket sales will be limited, so don’t delay in ordering tickets by clicking here.
At 12 noon today, Loblaws stores across Ontario banded together to break the Guinness World Records title for the most Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels cracked simultaneously.
Employees in more than 250 stores were specially trained to crack more than 300 wheels at one time. A representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium was in attendance in Toronto at the Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens store as the stores attempted the historic endeavour which CheeseLover.ca witnessed at the Pickering store—mainly because we love the smell and taste of freshly cracked DOP Parm.
That’s Nunzio Coppa (left) and Phil Chamberlain displaying their handiwork in Pickering. It took them just over four minutes to crack open the 40-kilogram wheels.
The former record was 176 wheels achieved in 2008. The new record by Loblaws will be tabulated later today.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard Italian cheese produced in the region of Parma, Italy, using the same recipe for almost 1,000 years. Parmigiano-Reggiano has been considered for centuries as the “king of cheese” with its amazing taste and crystalline texture. It is sold exclusively around the world through the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium (or Consorzio).
Hey, cheese lovers! Please pass the word on the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival by using the Facebook, Twitter and e-mail buttons at the bottom of this post. For Festival information and tickets, go http://cheesefestival.ca/ Thanks for your help. Cheese be with you!
Cheese lovers can taste and buy more than 100 Canadian artisan cheeses at the Festival and sample Canadian wine, craft beer and cider, plus taste and buy artisanal foods.
In less than three months, thousands of cheese lovers will be in heaven at the second annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival.
It’s the one and only event in Canada whose chief objective is to promote Canadian cheese and cheesemakers and the consumption of Canadian artisan, farmstead and specialty cheese.
Advance tickets are on sale online for the June 1-3 Festival in Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario’s fastest-growing gastronomic destination. Space is limited so don’t delay in buying tickets.
Learn about the best in Canadian cheese at special presentations by Dairy Farmers of Canada in the All You Need Is Cheese Annex
Enjoy amazing cheese dishes at the Cooks & Curds Gala prepared by outstanding chefs such as Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, Toronto, and Michael Blackie of the National Arts Centre, Ottaw
See the animals that produce milk for cheese at the Festival Dairy Farm. Try milking a cow!
Let experts such as Julia Rogers, Andy Shay, Vanessa Simmons and Janice Beaton fuel your passion in tutored cheese tastings
It’s a win-win scenario for hundreds of producers and thousands of consumers. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds funds a scholarship for young Canadians pursuing a career in cheese.
Only Canadian cheesemakers who turn the pure milk of Canadian cows, goats, sheep and water buffalo into cheese, using no modified milk ingredients (MMI), are invited to participate in the Festival.
Armand Bernard of Cows Creamery in a cheesy photo among lobster pots.
Prince Edward Island’s award-winning cheesemaker, Armand Bernard of Cows Creamery, is hosting “Meet the Cheesemaker” sampling events in Toronto and Waterloo on March 8 to 11. Bernard is the artisan behind award-winning cheeses like Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and Cows Creamery Extra Old Cheddar.
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar is produced according to a traditional recipe from the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland. In 2011, it won its category the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix and the American Cheese Society Competition.
Cows Creamery Extra Old Cheddar is aged for two years and is made from Prince Edward Island cow’s milk. In 2009, it won its class in the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.
When and Where:
Thursday,March 8: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens, 60 Carlton Street, Toronto.
Friday, March 9: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nature’s Emporium, 16655 Yonge Street, Newmarket, Ontario.
Saturday, March 10: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Vincenzo’s, 150 Caroline Street South, Waterloo, Ontario.
Sunday,March 11: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at McEwan, 38 Karl Fraser Road, Toronto.
It’s Video Wednesday and we’re off to St. Lawrence Market in Toronto with Wendy Furtenbacher aka Curdy Girl, one of our favourite bloggers. There’s no doubt about it, Wendy is head-over-heels in love with cheese. Today, she talks with Elisabeth Bzikot of Best Baa Dairy about the wonderful sheep-milk cheeses made by the Bzikot family near Conn, Ontario.
Here are the cheeseheads who work behind the scenes to make The Great Canadian Cheese Festival happen. From the left, Lin Chong, registration co-ordinator, Jackie Armet, cheese co-ordinator, Becky Lamb, volunteer co-ordinator, Terry Chong, operations manager, Karin Desveaux, executive director, Peta Shelton, Prince Edward County liaison officer, Ivy Knight, cheese gala co-ordinator, and Rebecca Crosgrey, event co-ordinator and assistant to Georgs Kolesnikovs, founder and director.
When they worked up an appetite during a recent planning session, here’s the cheese they dove into for lunch:
Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese: Hard and Semi-Hard, two impressive cheeses, the first like a Gruyere, the second like a Gouda, produced by Shep Ysselstein, a young chessemaker, in southwestern Ontario.
Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser: Tomme du Haut-Richelieu, a lovely washed-rind, goat-milk cheese from one of Quebec’s artisan-cheese pioneers.
Brillat-Savarin: A luscious triple-cream Brie with a truffle from France was devoured with much smacking of the lips.
Fromagerie Le Détour: The distinctive Grey Owl—with its dark ash rind—is sweet, tangy and creamy, a terrific example of the high standard of goat-milk-cheese production in Quebec.
Fromagerie de l’Abbaye Saint-Benoît: Bleu Bénédictin, a Canadian classic made under the supervision of Benedictine monks in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
Époisses Berthaut: An extraordinary washed-rind cow’s milk cheese with a natural red tint from Burgundy in France is too powerful for some, worshiped by others. Ours came to us courtesy of Glen Echo Fine Foods.
Fan mail, comments and ideas will reach the Festival event staff via cheeseheads @ cheeselover.ca.
